A US congressman is resigning amid scandal after he urged mistress to get an abortion

Pennsylvania Rep. Tim Murphy will resign October 21, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced in a statement Thursday afternoon.

“This afternoon I received a letter of resignation from Congressman Tim Murphy, effective October 21,” Ryan said. “It was Dr. Murphy’s decision to move on to the next chapter of his life, and I support it. We thank him for his many years of tireless work on mental health issues here in Congress and his service to the country as a naval reserve officer.”

Murphy’s resignation comes in the wake of a report detailing an affair with a woman, whom he told needed to have an abortion.

Murphy built much of his career in Congress on his public pro-life stance. But according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Murphy acted entirely different in private.

“You have zero issue posting your pro-life stance all over the place when you had no issue asking me to abort our unborn child just last week when we thought that was one of the options,” wrote Shannon Edwards, a forensic psychologist with whom Murphy was having an extra-marital affair.

“I get what you say about my March for life messages. I’ve never written them,” Murphy responded in a text message. Staff does them. I read them and winced. I told staff don’t write any more. I will.”